Artist Statement

My work is based on the theme: Postcards from Paradise - a love letter from the West Indies, a place where memories, culture, and identities intertwine. Through various still life and figurative works, I use my paintings to create relatable works that capture the essence of West Indian life - its vibrant rhythms and colors but also its quiet, everyday poetry. Each brushstroke is a bridge between past and present, evoking nostalgia for what was - while celebrating what endures.

Drawing from personal experiences and collective memory, I explore themes of heritage, culture, belonging, and transformation. I am inspired by the landscapes, traditions, and people of the West Indies, refining their beauty and resilience into oil paintings where I invite viewers to reconnect with their own stories.

My work is not just a reflection of the Caribbean – it’s an emotional archive, preserving moments that might otherwise fade. I strive to remind us of where we come from and the rich cultural fabric that shapes who we are.

If you'd like to read more about my journey as an artist, please click on Transition.

Artist Bio

Vidya Birkhoff (1965) is a painter and writer born in Trinidad and Tobago. She studied computer operations and programming from 1987-1990 at the Control Data Institute, Ontario, Canada and worked in corporate America from 1994-2010. In 2000, Vidya started dabbling in acrylics and her work was recognized by the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte, NC.

From 2011-2021, she lived and worked on several Caribbean islands. She opened the JavaLava Art Café, in Montserrat in 2014 where she was instrumental in providing a platform for emerging artists to showcase and sell their works. In 2017, she was accepted at the Ani Art Academies, and was afforded a 4-year, full time scholarship with disciplines in Trompe L’oeil. In December 2021, she graduated in fine arts with a focus on the Language of Drawing and the Language of Painting.

In February 2023, Vidya opened the Yellow Butterfly Studios & Art Gallery, on the Scarborough Waterfront, Tobago. She is currently creating a series of work on the subject of still-life and characterizations that evoke nostalgia.

Vidya shares her experiences through her paintings, with a composition of hyper-realism, while pushing color and contrast, to bring viewers into a distinct West Indian style. Her work can be found in galleries and private collections in Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, US, Canada and throughout the Caribbean.

• Artist / Owner – Yellow Butterfly Studios & Art Gallery
• Graduate of Ani Art Academies
• Published Author – Yuh Can’t Stop de Carnival
• Member – Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago
• Member – Women in Art Organization of Trinidad and Tobago

• Exhibitions:

o 2024 – Pathways, Group Exhibition, Tobago, W.I.
o 2023 – The Courageous – Indian Arrival, Group Exhibition, Arnim’s Art Galleria
o 2022 - Signs, Group Exhibition, Women in Art Organization of Trinidad and Tobago
o 2021 – International Reading Month – Group Exhibition – Rotunda, House of Parliament, Trinidad and Tobago
o 2019 - Enigma, Group Exhibition, - Lovett’s Fine Art Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Publications

o 2024 – Artist Feature, TTT Online – (I Love Tobago) Artist/Studio Feature

o 2024 – T&T Guardian - International Women’s Day – Artist Feature

o 2023 – T&T Guardian - International Women’s Day – Artist Feature

o 2022 – T&T Guardian - The Flag that Binds Us – T&T’s Independence Day - Full Page Artist Feature

o 2019 – Interviewing the Caribbean Magazine – 2 Page Artist Feature

• Social Media:

o Facebook
o Instagram
o TikTok
o LinkedIn